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Demolition begins at Leland Shopping Center

Demolition has begun on the Leland Shopping Center in Alberta, pictured on Tuesday morning.

Robert Sutton | Tuscaloosa News

By Stephanie TaylorStaff Writer

Published: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 4:35 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 4:35 p.m.

Leland Shopping Center in Alberta, which was once home to popular clothing stores, toy stores and restaurants, is now being demolished.

The Tuscaloosa City Council voted unanimously in December to condemn the hazardous structure.

The 187,000-square-foot shopping center, once a popular destination for residents and visitors, has fallen into disrepair since its 1959 opening.

The owners of the shopping center say they are entertaining offers to develop the site.

One tenant — Wright's Restaurant — plans to open in a new location, near Hopewell Baptist Church off University Boulevard, said Councilman Kip Tyner. Earlier this month, the restaurant's owners obtained a disaster relief loan from City Hall to aid in its relocation

The Leland Lanes bowling alley will not be part of the demolition. The bowling alley is owned by another entity and is not part of the shopping center.

"This will truly allow us to move forward," Tyner said. "Naturally, it was bittersweet. When I was growing up around there, Leland Shopping Center was the most exciting place to be."

The first shopping center in Tuscaloosa was home to a Pizitz Department Store and G. C. Murphy Co., where people bought clothing, records and toys. Men could buy a custom-made suit at Gray's Menswear and have their shoes shined at one of two locations. Wright's opened as a bakery, Tyner said, and was the only homemade bakery in Tuscaloosa.

Every spring, the Leland Merchants Association hosted a weeklong carnival that Tyner said rivaled the state fair.

"I run into people about once a month or so who talk about coming from Mississippi or other places in Alabama to shop at Leland, and that's no exaggeration," he said.

Attorney Robert Monfore, one of the seven partners who owns the shopping center, has said that he expects developers to build some type of multifamily residential and retail complex at the site.

<p>Leland Shopping Center in Alberta, which was once home to popular clothing stores, toy stores and restaurants, is now being demolished.</p><p>The Tuscaloosa City Council voted unanimously in December to condemn the hazardous structure.</p><p>The 187,000-square-foot shopping center, once a popular destination for residents and visitors, has fallen into disrepair since its 1959 opening.</p><p>The owners of the shopping center say they are entertaining offers to develop the site.</p><p>One tenant — Wright's Restaurant — plans to open in a new location, near Hopewell Baptist Church off University Boulevard, said Councilman Kip Tyner. Earlier this month, the restaurant's owners obtained a disaster relief loan from City Hall to aid in its relocation</p><p>The Leland Lanes bowling alley will not be part of the demolition. The bowling alley is owned by another entity and is not part of the shopping center.</p><p>"This will truly allow us to move forward," Tyner said. "Naturally, it was bittersweet. When I was growing up around there, Leland Shopping Center was the most exciting place to be."</p><p>The first shopping center in Tuscaloosa was home to a Pizitz Department Store and G. C. Murphy Co., where people bought clothing, records and toys. Men could buy a custom-made suit at Gray's Menswear and have their shoes shined at one of two locations. Wright's opened as a bakery, Tyner said, and was the only homemade bakery in Tuscaloosa. </p><p>Every spring, the Leland Merchants Association hosted a weeklong carnival that Tyner said rivaled the state fair.</p><p>"I run into people about once a month or so who talk about coming from Mississippi or other places in Alabama to shop at Leland, and that's no exaggeration," he said.</p><p>Attorney Robert Monfore, one of the seven partners who owns the shopping center, has said that he expects developers to build some type of multifamily residential and retail complex at the site.</p>